Ok, this band does not need a great introduction. KROKUS, which formed in 1974, in the crack of 80's went international with albums like "Metal Rendez-vous" and "Hardware". There was a dispute, and still is, that this band had a lot of AC/DC elements, but that did not stop those guys from rocking around the world. Chris Von Rohr, before the release of "Hoodoo" declared that he would mop DJ Bobo's studio with his bandana if "Hoodoo" would not hit the top of the Swiss charts in the first week of the album's launch. And so it was: still "Hoodoo" is in the third position in the Swiss charts.

Does "Hoodoo" have something new to offer? Hell NO! Has AC/DC come up with something new the last 20 years? Hell NO! But that does not matter after all. But generally "Hoodoo" is a mature album, with mostly mid-pace tracks, very good production, and vocals by Marc Storace that make you feel that time does not exist. They have included a cover of "Born To Be Wild". What I do not get, it is not the first time, is why there has to be a cover song in the new album? "Born To Be Wild" does not add kudos to this release, it does not extract any either, but I find it pretty pointless, for the reason that it is quite a known song with not such dramatic changes to evaluate the music talent and imagination that can alter an already known tune. If KROKUS want to pay homage to STEPPENWOLF I accept it...

"Keep Me Rolling" and "In My Blood" are approaching the boarders of the Aussies really dangerously. How I see it is that the band did not experiment with its sound, the sound of KROKUS travelled to the other side of the Atlantic, apart from taking parts from older albums, not mentioning the AC/DC thing again, taking also ZZ TOP parts. Chris Von Rohr kept advising the last years that he wanted "Meh Dräck" (meaning "more dirt" in the Swiss dialect) and this is what this album is about: heavy with a dirty sound, the basic US filthy Hard Rock sound that is detected everywhere in the album, like the dust one gets in one's boots when wandering with a motorbike on Route 66, or something like that. "Too Hot" and "Dirty Street" have lots of the old KROKUS,"Ride Into The Sun" on the other hand, follows a more melodic line, a more polished guitar riff, and is a good track after all

It is true that these guys were a bit lost from the scene lately, but just to keep the sentence short and meaningful: "Hoodoo" is more than a decent comeback.